• Submitted by: manso
• Arts and Culture
• 10 / 10 / 2010

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Initiative marks 8-year partnership. Staff report. Published: Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.Last Modified: Friday, October 8, 2010 at 8:38 p.m.

The University of AlabamaComputers and Internet begins its Cuba Week celebration with panel presentations by UA faculty and their Cuban counterparts in higher education to highlight collaborative research conducted in conjunction with the Alabama-Cuba Initiative.

Topics for this year’s academic conference range from “Early History and Archaeology of Cuba” and “The State of Ceramic Arts in Cuba” to “Biodiversity of Cuba: Insights into the Marine and Terrestrial Realms.” UA students will also discuss their experiences studying abroad in Cuba.

State Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks, the Democratic nominee for governor, will deliver the keynote address at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Bryant Conference Center.

More than 20 Cuban scholars are scheduled to travel to Tuscaloosa for Cuba Week, including:

-Otto Randín Gonzáles, executive secretary of the Commission on Monuments in the City of Havana, who heads the effort to restore historic buildings in Old Havana.

-Cristina Díaz López, vice provost of international relations at the University of Havana and a professor of analytical chemistry who studies environmental contamination.

-Rosa López-Oceguera of the Center for Hemispheric and U.S. Studies, University of Havana, and an expert in U.S.-Cuban relations.

- Emilio Heredia Pi, a professor and musician at Cuba’s Institute of Superior Art.

Cuba Week, hosted by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, is open to the public and all presentations will be held at the Bryant Conference Center. The registration fee is $30 and is non-refundable.

Source: http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20101009/news/101009650